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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345529">SOMETIMES A FAMILY CAN BE A BIRD-PUPPET, A CAT, A DOG GOD, AND JOHN.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider, Canonical Child Abuse, Dirk Strider and Dave's Bro Aren't the Same Person, Dissociation, Gen, Illustrations, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, POV Second Person, Starvation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:03:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345529</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You're not quite sure what your name is anymore, it's been a while since you've had to use it. But you go by T1, and you have your friends, T2 and sort of T3 to go and help you out in keeping sane in this stupid facility.</p>
<p>You don't really know what you want, since you know it's futile to get out of this place but... maybe a friend would be a great change of pace. The people who've been in the cell with you always pass away and never return after the experiments that are held on them. You suppose you're the lucky one, but...</p>
<p>That's not really how you feel, is it?</p>
<p>Please read the tags.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings for this chapter: Physical Child abuse, Starvation, Asphyxiation. If you want to skip the asphyxiation part, it starts with “Something catches” and ends with  “It never comes?” Child abuse and starvation will be something pretty constant.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>Your name is... Dave... Dave Strider. It hasn’t been Dave for that long, but literally thinking to yourself that you’re Dave now just makes you feel... extremely satisfied with everything. </p>
<p>You didn’t know your cooler older bro could totally just change your name and all that, but he reassures you that he will do that and make sure you’re feeling good with yourself.</p>
<p>Man, you’re so lucky you got a cool bro like him.</p>
<p>Sure, his job has something to do with the insane amount of puppets that’s in all of the rooms of the apartment. Sure it creeps you out sometimes, but you think it’s just because of those tiny little beady eyes they got. They’re staring into your very soul and that gives you the shivers.</p>
<p>But other than the constant presence of these puppets, your bro was the absolute best. He always fed you, he watches all these movies with you, he brings you to the grocery where you two pick the absolute worst foods together and you try to find out what types of foods could be mixed together until both your stomachs hurt.</p>
<p>Sure it was a bit painful, but it was hilarious all the more. That’s honestly what matters.</p>
<p>Though... even with the past few months that you’ve been you... bro’s started to act weird. You’re not really sure when it started, and you might be extremely just... biased, you think it’s that new puppet’s fault.</p>
<p>The puppet’s name was Lil’ Cal, and he’s always by your bro’s side now. Your bro never lets go of him these days and you always see his long spindly arms wrapped around bro’s shoulders. He’s been spending less and less time with you, making these weird puppets with big butts and long noses. You don’t really like these ones any better than the ones that your bro used to fix up before, and you don’t think you’re going to like them eventually.</p>
<p>They just gave you the creeps, especially with how moist they always were. </p>
<p>You hope that your bro’s just been a little caught up with work and that he isn’t spending most of his time kissing the puppet on the lips like you’ve once seen him, because as funny as it was when you first saw it, he didn’t seem to be all ironic about it. It was... creeping you out, in all honesty.</p>
<p>You wish your bro would stop hanging out with Lil’ Cal. You just want to hang out with your bro again.</p>
<p>He’s been feeding you less and less these past few weeks, your stomach is churning, not being used to not eating for more than half a day. You don’t know how to describe the odd feeling piling up in your stomach other than it’s painful and that you wish that it stops but it won’t. You think it’s the third day that bro’s forgotten to feed you, and it’s the fifth time this month but every time you mention it to him, he barely reacts.</p>
<p>You blame the puppet wholly for this and you want that puppet gone.</p>
<p>You’re... admittedly planning on throwing that puppet outside the window. Maybe filling it with bread crumbs so the pigeons will eat it and decimate it to pieces like you’ve seen them when you’re on the rooftop with your bro, just watching the sun set, seeing the cars whizz by the busy road, just seeing things be... normal?</p>
<p>You’re not sure if your bro’s situation with that stupid puppet is normal anymore.</p>
<p>You want to help your bro, so you try and gather as much bread as you can, making sure you’ll be able to stuff in as much bread as you possibly can in that stupid puppet.</p>
<p>It’s... very tempting to save that bread for yourself, it really is, but no. You have to do this to save your bro from the hands of that stupid puppet.</p>
<p>It takes a few months and you really hope the crows and the pigeons that you’ve been feeding a bit of your food with is gonna help with your plan. They’ve all been really smart and nice, and you appreciate them bringing you some knick knacks.</p>
<p>They aren’t that useful, but you take them anyways, just to show them that you appreciate them so much. Which you honestly do! They’re just... cool.</p>
<p>But you’re getting off topic. You have with you your bro’s sewing scissors and your plastic bag filled with many breadcrumbs, coming from pizza and Olive Garden breadsticks that you’d take when you’d sneak out, and you quietly make your way to your bro’s futon in the living room. </p>
<p>He’s left the tv open again and the static was just grating on your ears, it’s low buzz making your head fuzzier. You push through and gently set your bag down. You see that your bro barely reacts to that.</p>
<p>Your heart is racing and you feel the beating in a quick succession in your ears. It’s invasive in your head and it makes you even more aware of the fear in your chest, the fear in your head, and the fear in your soul. You know this is for the best anyways.</p>
<p>You slowly take the puppet away from your bro’s arms and you shove as much bread in it as quickly as possible. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You see the slow movement from your bro’s shadow and you quickly shove in more bread inside that puppet and try to make a run for it to your room, just so you could fling that puppet far away into the road but you feel a rough clasping around your shoulder and you feel yourself colliding into the wall and you black out.</p>
<p>This... slowly becomes a regular occurrence. You’re not sure where he got the swords, or when it’s started to fill the apartment, with all the stupid fucking puppets but they’ve just become a constant in your life.</p>
<p>You tried... you tried begging at first, you really did. You quickly found out your efforts were useless. Bro would just take the chance to go ahead and hit you, when you were most distracted, most vulnerable. You’ve decided... you’ve decided that not saying anything so he’d not pay attention to you.</p>
<p>To think that you used to always want him to be around you, to be showered with his attention, with his praises.</p>
<p>Somehow, thinking about Bro just makes you feel sick to your stomach. You might only be seven years old, and hopefully counting, but you aren’t dumb enough to know that this... this wasn’t okay. You begin to doubt if things were ever okay, you really want to blame it on the stupid puppet but... </p>
<p>Has Bro always been this shit?</p>
<p>You don’t know for sure, but thinking about it just keeps making your head foggy, and all you know is that that shouldn’t be happening because you have to keep alert.</p>
<p>Right now, you don’t know if Bro is in the apartment. All you know is that you’re starving and you’re patching up your wounds from another strife.</p>
<p>You hope that Bro is going to stay away longer than he has to, but there’s nothing you can do if he decides to jump you before you can even get a snack or some time to rest.</p>
<p>You finish wrapping your arm up and you put your med kit away and back under your bed. You take in a few deep breaths to psych yourself up for a possible strife before bolting to the cupboards, completely missing the fridge because you know there’s nothing in there but knives.</p>
<p>Something catches your throat and the instant panic flares up your chest, a whole burst of pain as you try to stop those spindly fucking arms from entangling around your neck. You try your best, but it’s a futile effort and you feel yourself wheezing for air, clawing to get that rancid moist puppet off your throat.</p>
<p>You don’t know how this is tightening even more around your throat despite no one holding it but you feel your head getting lighter and the dark spots begin to dance around your vision. God, of all the ways to go out, is this really how you’re going?</p>
<p>You feel someone pick you up and you freeze up despite the puppet loosening around you. You know this is Bro again, you know he’s about to throw you into the wall again. You brace yourself but it... </p>
<p>It never comes?</p>
<p>You hear other people’s feet shuffling by the entrance of the door and you open your eyes.</p>
<p>You don’t know these people, but that isn’t a surprise either. Bro’s been recently bringing random people into his room, and they’d make the weirdest fucking noises. You know what it is, by the powers of the internet, and it doesn’t stop you.</p>
<p>You’re more weirded out about the fact that they seemed to be like those scientists in those movies that would take people from their home and do crazy experiments on—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>You... didn’t think Bro would do that, but then again, you didn’t think he’d do any of these things he’s done to you.</p>
<p>What comes after this is a blur to you, even your name is hard to remember at this point.</p>
<p> Your name is <span class="text">B-</span><span class="dave">T1</span>, the first successful experiments of this lab that you so despise, and by god are you so lonely. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warnings: Descriptions of dissociation, mentions of training child soldiers</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything has been so dreary these past few moments and you... feel so many. Which... he thinks... you think doesn’t make sense. You’re only you, aren’t you? Why do your hands look like his? Why does his hair feel too short? Why does everything feel so far away? He knows his skin isn’t this dark... but did he have skin to begin with?</p>
<p>You all realize you’ve started thinking in third person, like someone else was dictating your thoughts for a while and you don’t feel too nice about that.</p>
<p>“Hello?” He mumbles, and his voice surprises you. It’s... your voice? That’s weird, you don’t remember speaking at all.</p>
<p>You greet him with your own voice, the intonations are correct and everything’s much better. It was also in a nonchalant manner that would’ve made people proud.</p>
<p>“Where... are we?” His voice was quiet and careful. “Weren’t we... wasn’t I at the apartment earlier?” You feel your hand trembling slightly.</p>
<p>You blink once, twice. And on the third time, the shaking stops. Your head feels infinitely heavier and fuzzier, though.</p>
<p>“You should stop doing that,” He says with your voice, it was quiet and croaky, yet it was the most calm tone you’ve ever heard. It didn’t seem fake, like the men in the lab coats. It reminds you of... something you’ve never had. A home.</p>
<p>You realize that whatever he said didn’t sink in your head. You ask him to repeat, and it takes him a little bit of time before he responds. You respond with a quiet “oh,” and then tell him you don’t know what he’s talking about.</p>
<p>“You’re pushing us away.” He croaks out and you feel your hands rubbing on each other, even though you weren’t moving them at all. At least, not to your own volition. “We just... want some time to ourselves too, you know. Me and the other guy, as creepy as he is.”</p>
<p>You tell him idly that you don’t know what he’s talking about. All he was doing was being confusing, and that just made your head even foggier than it already was.</p>
<p>“I don’t really know what’s happening either but... our body. This is ours now. It’s not just yours. We... at least, I, respect your own time, but we want time to just breath in this shitty stale lab air, you know? It’s so dull in there... I’d tell you about it but you’ll know soon, right? Since you wouldn’t just... let us be idle in there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You say you have no idea what he’s talking about. You change the subject by asking him his name. People have that, right?</p>
<p>He stays silent for a little while and you feel him drag your hand up to your hair, his hair, and he pulls a little bit, to keep yourself grounded. “I don’t know my name, I don’t think I’ve ever had a name. Then again, it’s been so long for you too, T1? How long has it been? Months? We’ve all lost count... it’s hard to remember how many friends we’ve attempted to make, yeah?” He pauses for a few seconds. “I guess we can call me T2 for now. We can call the other guy T3 until he says something that isn’t random shit.”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>You say you don’t have a clue what he’s going on about, once more, and you feel like an idiot for that. You eventually just nod and agree, not feeling any malicious intent with T2.</p>
<p>You hope... you hope that things will be alright.</p>
<p>There’s been some times where you don’t remember the days passing by, but the scientists do. That T2 knows, that T3 knows, but you don’t. You’re... surprisingly not bothered about the hours or days you’re losing, and you don’t know if that’s bad or good.</p>
<p>Sometimes you’ll go to bed but come to again when you’re in one of the training times, where they make you use the mutations they’ve added on you.</p>
<p>Sometimes, time just slows down for everyone and you go at a normal pace. You’ve tried escaping, but it seems like they know that you do try and you immediately lose consciousness.</p>
<p>You’re not exactly too clear on the processes of the training, if you’re going to be completely honest, you think T2 is always making sure you’re not subjected to it. You... you think you’re being babied, and you’re not quite sure how to feel about that, and it honestly rubs you wrong but you know it’s dumb to argue with T2.</p>
<p>It hasn’t stopped you, at least a few times, but T2 just insists that it’s because training is just a pain. You don’t really believe him when he says that since you’re pretty sure T2’s been taking all the time there.</p>
<p>“Hey,” He croaks out one night,during lights out. You’re both pressing your cheeks on the glass of the cell. You both feel the coldness of the glass, the frosting of your warm breath on the colder glass.</p>
<p>“Sup,” You reply nonchalantly. “What’re we looking out for today?” You ask as you feel your eyes flit around the dark. You see a few silhouettes around the area, walking around the facility. </p>
<p>“New experiment. I heard she’s around our age, so it’s gonna be real tough with her.” You hear him croak out your mouth. He shuts your eyes for a few moments before opening them back up to see two guards escorting someone around your height with the frizziest wildest hair you’ve seen. You can’t see their exact features but you suppose that won’t be a problem when they come by.</p>
<p>The guards bang on the glass to get your body away from the glass and you stick your tongue out at them before moving away and trying to look at your new roommate. </p>
<p>For a moment, you don’t process that they’ve been talking ruder words to the guards and they get shoved in. You quickly move over to catch them and they struggle in your hold.</p>
<p>“Hey, hey, calm down for a bit, losing your cool won’t be good.” He croaks out quietly and brings them to the bottom bunk of a bed. “I’m T2,” You feel him tap on your armband on your left. “T1’s got the nicer voice. What number did they assign you?” He asks quietly and holds their hand calmly.</p>
<p>The other person stares for a few moments at you. There’s this awkward silence that brings unease in your chest again. But, they finally respond. “My name’s Jade,” Jade says. “I don’t wanna stay here for long and I just want to go back home with Bec.” Her voice quivers slightly and then she uses her sleeve to wipe at her eyes.</p>
<p>Oh shit, she’s crying.  You go over to the bed and remove the pillow case from your bed and you go over to her. “Don’t cry, they get real fuckin upset if you cry.” You tell her quietly. “All types of upset, they don’t feed you and they make you go to training more.”</p>
<p>She chokes out another sob and she tries to push you away from her. “I don’t want to do whatever they want me to! A-and you’re so— creepy! Why— you have black wings and really red eyes and it’s so freaky!” She sobs out and tries to bang at the glass. “Let me out, please! I don’t wanna be here!”</p>
<p>You would’ve been hurt by those statements, but you’ve heard this so many times... it’s become a routine. You’ve come to expect it. You try and go over to her and try to pull her away from the glass. “You’re gonna hurt yourself— c’mon, stop that.” You can’t keep the whine out of your voice as you bring her to the bed.</p>
<p>She was choking out a few sobs and she was shaking her head, hair bouncing left and right. “No—I don’t care! I just want ou—”</p>
<p>He covers her mouth with your hand and he shakes your head a bit. “I know it’s hard to take in,” He starts off with a quiet croak. But if you act badly at the start, they’ll be really bad with the experiments on you. They won’t put you on the no-pain medicine and you can feel everything they do to you. It’s impossible to escape. We’ve tried a lot.” He tells her. “But if it helps, we can try to be your friend.” </p>
<p>Jade lets out a quiet sob and shakes her head. She pulls your hand away from her. “I— I can’t just give up like that! I’m only 10! I just wanna live and be with Bec and be with other people and—” She lets out a quiet wail and continues sobbing as she starts slumping over your chest.</p>
<p>He pats her back gently and you wrap your arms around her to try and calm her down. She seems to appreciate it, at the very least, and she falls asleep in your arms tonight.</p>
<p>When you wake up, it’s already time to be educated again. You grasp around slightly, looking for your new friend. Jade? Yes, her name was Jade.</p>
<p>You’re not surprised to see that she wasn’t in the bed with you anymore. You feel the anxiety building up in your chest, knowing the atrocities that will be done to her, but not knowing if she’ll even make it out alive.</p>
<p>You hear footsteps outside of your cell and you immediately go near the glass, ready to be let out. Your wings flutter anxiously again as the glass opens up, then you take a few steps out and then make your way to the education facilities, alongside a few nameless experiments who seem to be way duller than you are.</p>
<p>You hear the screams of your friend in the distance, and as much as it hurts you, you don’t interfere. At least then, she’ll have a chance to make it out alive and then you’ll have each other.</p>
<p>You vaguely hear T3 say that’s really selfish, and you’re half tempted to agree, but T2 agrees with you. </p>
<p>You might have each other but... holding someone and being held by someone was nice. Feeling your own body hold yourself wasn’t the most comforting thing, if anything, it just felt lonelier.</p>
<p>You feel fog and lead taking up in your head again, your senses dulling and you seem to black out.</p>
<p>When you come to again, you feel your mouth moving and the darkness is fading away from your eyes. It takes a few moments for you to realize that either T2 or T3 was talking to your new friend, Jade. It looks like she was still crying a bit, but that isn’t even the part that catches you off guard. </p>
<p>It’s the fact that she’s actually right here, right in front of you. She’s just like you now, you’re not alone anymore in this stupid cell. You feel yourself swell with joy as you’re suddenly aware of what’s being said.</p>
<p>“—’s gonna be okay. I don’t know when we’ll be able to get out of here but we should at least hope to. Maybe someday, somehow, someone’s going to find out about this stupid place and we’re going to be free.” T2 croaks out, but somehow, he sounds comforting.</p>
<p>Jade, who had... longer and furrier ears on the side of her head and a tail right behind her. Her eyes were dark brown, though they had a green glow to them. You realize she’s just like you now.</p>
<p>This both excites you and terrifies you.</p>
<p>You realize you haven’t been paying attention to what she’s been saying, but you feel your lips curl up into a little smile as he pulls her closer to your body.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, Jade, I’ll be here for you.” You hear T2 tell Jade quietly.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>You feel like you’re intruding by just watching and listening, so you decide to say something. “I’m gonna be here for you too, Jade, don’t worry about it. We all will.” You tell her, trying to keep the awkwardness in your voice.</p>
<p>You feel Jade bolt away from you’re worried you’ve scared her. </p>
<p>“Oh uh- hey uh,” She stammers, you see her face darkening slightly. “I really don’t want to call any of you just... code numbers. I really wanna know your names and stuff like that!” She clasps her hands together and offers you a huge smile. You see that two of her front teeth are bigger than the others, and you find that really adorable.</p>
<p>Oh, right, she’s asking you a question. “I... haven’t used my actual name in ages, I’m not sure if I remember it right.” You admit quietly. You see Jade’s eyes widen behind her clear shades. “I know, it’s really weird, but I’ve been here for so long, hearing it again just... would probably sound weird.” You murmur.</p>
<p>“We’re gonna make it not sound weird again! We can do that.” She smiles and you feel a warmth sprout from inside you.</p>
<p>“Oh uhm... I don’t actually... remember my name?” You admit and you hold your hands together tightly. “It’s been so so long. I just... don’t remember it at all.”</p>
<p>“It’s Dave,” You hear T2 croak out.</p>
<p>“Is it?” You’re surprised yourself. He nods slightly.</p>
<p>“It’s... it’s Dave then. Hey, Jade, I’m Dave.” You smile a little bit at her.</p>
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